Caregiving Guides & Resources

Supports for Individuals and Families

General Resources

Grief Resources

Caregiving Guides and Pamphlets

Advance Care Planning, Waterloo Wellington Learn more>

When Someone is Dying: What Can I Expect?  What Can I do?

For single copies, download the .pdf and print; For multiple copies, please contact your HPC Consultant or email hpcinfo@hospicewaterloo.ca.

In the Community

Many patients prefer to die at home if the family is willing and able to cope. However, family members become anxious if they don’t know what will happen and what they need to do. Through the Palliative Care Initiatives, HPC Consultation Services has a brochure for families that discuss the signs of approaching death and what to do after death. There is no cost for the guide, and it may be ordered for facilities.  Printer-friendly Version – please note: When printing the Community pamphlet, please print on yellow paper to distinquish it from Hospital and LTC versions.

In Long-Term Care

This guide contains helpful information about what to expect at the end-of-life and may add to what the health care team has already discussed with families. We hope that these guide will help families understand and attend to a loved one’s changing needs and ease any fears or worries.  There is no cost for the guide, and it may be ordered for facilities. Printer-friendly Version – Please note: When printing the Long-Term Care pamphlet, please print on purple paper to distinguish it from the Community and Hospital versions

In Hospital

This guide contains helpful information about what to expect at the end-of-life and may add to what the health care team has already discussed with families. Wehope that this guide will help families understand and attend to a loved one’s changing needs and ease any fears or worries.  There is no cost for the guide, and it may be ordered for facilities. Printer-friendly Version  Please note: When printing the Hospital pamphlet, please print on gray paper to distinguish it from the Community and LTC versions.

When Someone Dies – Some Next Steps for Family and Friends

The death of a relative or friend is one of the most stressful things that happens in life. If death is sudden or unexpected, the feeling of shock can seem overwhelming. Even when death is expected, it is still difficult to be prepared. While this booklet cannot anticipate every situation, we hope that it will answer some of your questions and help you make necessary arrangements. When Someone Dies – Download

Caregiver’s Guide: A Handbook About End-Of-Life Care

Written especially for family caregivers, this guide, plainly and in language easily understood, presents the medical and nursing information needed to help family caregivers understand the difficulties their loved ones are facing.  This informative tool aids family caregivers in becoming valuable members of the palliative care team while, at the same time, providing support physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Caregiver’s Guide – Download

ResuscitationResuscitation – A Decision-Making Guide for Patients, Families, and Caregivers

This pamphlet provides you with information to answer important questions that you as a patient, family member or caregiver may have about the term “resuscitation”.  Resuscitation is the word used to describe the actions that are taken to attempt to bring a person back to life when he/she has stopped breathing or his/her heart has stopped beating.  Download

Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR): A Decision Aid for Patients and their Families

This Question and Answer guide provides patients and families with useful information about CPR (what it is, what is involved, advantages and disadvantages, etc.)

Pain Intensity Scale Translations (21 Languages)

There is a new booklet available throughout Waterloo Region, Wellington-Dufferin to assist health care providers looking after patients who do not speak English. Translated into 21 languages, the pain scale assessment asks six questions of the patient on a scale of 0 to 10 about their pain. The English is on the back of each of the pages. The pages should be photocopied for ongoing use with a patient to evaluate effectiveness of treatment.  Download

Caring Across Cultures – Multicultural Considerations in Palliative Care

Caring_Across_CulturesCaring Across Cultures is intended to be a useful resource for caregivers working within a cultural mosaic. It is not…a scientific or academically objective document. Rather it has evolved from a grassroots investigation that has been primarily informed by interviews with community leaders and experts in palliative care.  Order Form

Comfort Care – A Guide for Caregivers

Comfort_Care_-_A_Guide_for_CaregiverrsThis guide is intended for caregivers of a person with Alzheimer’s Disease or by another type of degenerative disease of the brain, such as Parkinson’s Disease, the effects of multiple strokes or even certain forms of Multiple Sclerosis.  Download

Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS-r)